Set in Mumbai, Ritesh Batra's Photograph explores the relationship dynamic between a photographer and his muse.

Image:Sanya Malhota/Instagram

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Ritesh Batra’s latest directorial Photograph has been travelling to international film festivals and is garnering love and admiration from a wide section of the audience that has had the opportunity to see it. Photograph’s trailer, starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra, has just released on YouTube and by the looks of it, Batra is treading the familiar path-- performances understated, yet impactful, like The Lunchbox.

Based in Mumbai, Rafi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), a photographer, who puts up shop outside the Gateway of India, urges Miloni (Sanya Malhotra) to get a photo clicked for herself. Miloni, who is slowly walking away, agrees. The shutter clicks and the story begins.

Miloni, a smart, young woman, is well on her way to becoming a CA. But something seems terribly off about her demeanor. She’s unhappy with the current scheme of things or maybe she has been for quite some time, and the disinterest has just started to become apparent on her face. She is withdrawn from things that concern her.

Rafi, on the other hand, is not financially well off and adding to the pressure is the suggestion that he gets married, which, as we learn, his grandmother (Farrukh Jaffar) is arm twisting him into.

Rafi gives Miloni her photo from their first meeting and asks her to meet his grandmother, while she pretends to be his lover. Miloni concurs. It is up to the grandmother now to hitch them together, as they continue to pick up things about each other and themselves.

Batra has, yet again, tried to weave a story around strangers coming together. An unusual friendship developing into something substantial. Maybe, maybe not. Can a Photograph tell us more than we can see?

Written and directed by Ritesh Batra, Photograph opens on March 15. Watch Photograph trailer here: